Advantages

Disadvantages

Nice enough, not sure its worth about £100 a night here though for a double room!

Not too long ago my lovely boyfriend whisked me away for a romantic night away. I was delighted and surprised especially when he showed me the place on the website where he had made the booking and it was in such a lovely part of the world I couldn't wait to get going.

Well you are allowed to book in from 15.00 hours and to check out between 7-10.30am and we arrived at this imposing hotel situated up a hill bang on the dot of the time we were allowed in as we were so excited. We were both immediately impressed by the grandeur of this building which was originally founded during the reign of King James with large windows, several floors to it and large flags hanging from near the entrance.

Free parking and plenty of it is available and just to mention so is wi-fi and so no pesky paying for staying somewhere and it is of course a no smoking hotel however outside there are ashtrays attached to the walls to use if you so want to!

The entrance of the hallway is slim and rather impressive. Chandeliers and dark mixed coloured plush carpets and a lovely dark wood polished reception area with a member of staff all decked out in smart black and white attire we were asked if we needed anyone to help with our bags and all we had to do was confirm the booking name, was handed a key and off we went into the oldest style of lift with a door on it I have ever seen. For such a small hotel I was surprised at the lift being so small however we had no problem with this and there are stairs available too so disabled people and people with prams and buggies wouldn't struggle to much as they are catered for and staff are always on hand to help if need be too.

There are of course a variety of rooms of available all to house different sized parties including ones with children of course and we simply had a very nice and clean double bedroom with an en suite bathroom.

Our room was white and cream with a very comfortable mahogany double bed all with crisp, clean white bedding and with a matching table and chair then a dressing table with chair, a full length mirror and a small flat-screen tv with ordinary tv on it. There was a black telephone in the room, the room was well lit with small bedside lamps and a main light and thick tapestry drapes and a thick pink carpet all gave the room a rather regal feel to it but it was all slightly mismatched. In a large cupboard there was extra bedding, towels and pillows and the likes and a kettle and cups with tea, coffee, milk and sugar provided. The bathroom was rather small white in colour with a toilet, bath and shower over and with a selection of small toiletries plus sewing kit and things like that and large white towels were again there in abundance and nice and thick they were too. The shower worked well and easily and the bed was really, really comfortable too!

The room was well laid out, spacious, windows opened and closed, radiators were easy to use and room service via telephone available 24/7. Our room was very quiet, and everything was in working order thankfully and the room was simple but quaint and it even had a trouser press in there!

Downstairs (in the hallway/lobby) Vera Lyn and all very old style artists were played softly into it giving a calm feel to the place and really thats what this is really.....a very quiet hotel.

To the front of the building there are two function rooms just with chairs in really that are of course for parties and weddings and the likes. It looked a bit scuffy to the front of the building to be honest and the first thing you see is two large barish rooms though and the least they could do is tidy that as it is on show.

Where this excelled was the the bar and lounge. Small bar area stocked with every kind of drink I can imagine with teas and coffees and the likes available there was a tv in there once again, plenty of flowers and comfy tables and chairs. One barman was on duty and he was helpful, chatty and very smart though again, it was empty when we used the hotel (but then it was a week night!).

There is also an attached lounge and this was simply a stunning room that was very quiet once again. With a grand piano and imposing chandeliers and orangy/brown leather sofas and light streaming in from huge windows and the light reflecting off the huge mirrors and artwork that adorns the satin feel pale wallpaper and bounces off the light oak polished floor this room was simply stunning. Plenty of room to sit and be comfortable in whether you wanted to sit in a tub style chair or a couch each and we spent ages in here admiring it.

The restaurant again is large, bright and airy though was very plain. We didn't use the restaurant but we did see table service going on and people eating posh meals in a high ceiling room however I can't comment on the food only to say people looked rather happy and that the restaurant only uses fresh and local produce as far as I am aware.

This is a rather nice hotel, large and roomy and reminded both me and my partner of times gone by though to be honest the downstairs of the hotel do look a little tired. It wasn't dirty or anything just appeared like it needed a few touch ups.

We enjoyed our none fuss stay here and appreciated being only 5 miles (ish) away from bath, near a local pub and in the middle of no where.

Do look about for the best prices here though online, our stay came from www.booking.com and cost £98.00 for the night though book in advance its far cheaper and like I stated earlier in this review different sized rooms and deals are available.